After meandering down the street just a bit we decided to stop into Jazz Cafe. Husband opted for the red beans and rice with shredded pork and sausage. Mom and I decided on the chicken tender and waffles. I was so glad that I opted for this southern favorite. The portions were VERY generous with 2 waffles and 3 chicken tenders, that appeared to be more akin to half of a chicken breast each than the skimpy sizes that we are used to seeing. The waffles featured just enough syrup to make them somewhat sweet and very delicious. The chicken was seasoned just right with a crispy exterior and juicy middle. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. We had such a lovely conversation with the waitress and she even indulged us to sit and chat for a while.
After that leisurely meal, we continued our wanderings toward the French Market. The streets have a European feel but are uniquely American at the same time. Lots of people crowded the streets today – several Bachelorette parties, tourists, and people just enjoying what the city has to offer.
We passed near Jackson Square and the St. Louis Cathedral and stopped in to feel the peace and beauty of the park.
After sitting in the park for a brief rest, we continued on our way. Next stop the French Market! There was all kinds of beautiful art, jewelry, practical items, food and tourist baubles. I spent so much time ogling the beautiful things and thinking of what I might want to purchase that I failed to take any photos here. There was an entire booth that was just spices and spice mixes, booths selling a variety of foods, some booths selling jewelry of various types, and we stopped for a while at a booth that offered exquisite stone drink-ware – of particular interest to me was the one made with Tiger Eye and 2 other stones.
Across the street from the exit of the market was the end goal for the day – the New Orleans Mint. This mint was one of 3 taken over by the Confederates during the American Civil War. It was the only mint that produced a specific design for the Confederate minted coins.
While the first floor of the mint was about the mint itself, its operations and its eventual close; the second floor featured a New Orleans’ Musicians exhibit. Several of the musicians instruments were damaged extensively during Katrina but are being lovingly restored so they can be appreciated for generations to come.
Fats Domino’s Piano was among the items damaged, restored, and displayed.
Unfortunately, some items may never be repaired. This fiddle belonged to Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown. Mr. Brown left New Orleans just before Katrina hit but left his fiddle behind in its case. The fiddle was found near where Mr. Brown’s home used to be in the condition seen below to the right. Mr. Brown passed away 2 weeks after Katrina in Texas.
In a special exhibit celebrating Louis Armstrong there were many artifacts including his first cornet and his last trumpet.
Once we concluded our time at the Mint, we ventured back to home for the week. Since we were
passing by St. Louis Cathedral again, we decided to see if we could get inside for a look around. Before we reached the doors, the square had the most amazing musician. The music was beautiful and I could have stayed to listen for hours. The instrument is of an African design over 800 years old, although this version he made himself. The instrument is fashioned from a gourd at the base, covered with calf skin. The strings go up both the left and right side of the neck of the instrument and he strums them simultaneously with thumb and forefinger of each hand. After we watched for just a brief time, we continued on to the Cathedral.
Alas, they were having evening mass which we did not wish to disturb. Looking at the list of Rectors, the church was established in 1720. Wow…I can’t even imagine. I’m hoping we can get near there again to look around inside.
Since we couldn’t tour in the church we grabbed a bench seat to listen to more of the wonderful music. CD’s were purchased and then we wandered back to the condo to rest a bit before dinner time.
We headed back out around 7 toward Bourbon Street to see what food sounded good. There were
lots of people having a wonderful time and entire portions of the street were closed off to traffic allowing plenty of room to walk. Eventually, we found ourselves at Pat O’Briens. Such wonderful food. Hubby opted for Jambalaya (he’s working his way through all his New Orleans favorites) and we opted for the special which was a grilled chicken breast with a creamy mushroom sauce, asparagus, and crispy potatoes. It was delicious and my 
plate was empty when I pushed it away. We stayed for dessert with hubby opting for Pecan Pie, Mom opted for Bread Pudding and I chose the hurricane cheesecake. We were stuffed but so pleased with our entire meal. Making the trek back to our “home away from home”, we passed several street singers doing a wonderful job and wandered down Royal Street where we did a lot of window shopping in the antique stores. It didn’t take too long before we decided we would definitely need to go back when the stores were open.
All in all, a very relaxing and enjoyable first day in this amazing city.
No comments:
Post a Comment